Tarnished Armor
by Magically Hermione
Summary: Lily Evans reminisces about her time at Hogwarts and the influence of a certain ebony-haired man that seems to make frequent appearances in her life.


**My Personal Knight**

The consequence of being alone is that you have an unsettling amount of time to think. For Lily Evans, this was not what she needed- or so she thought. On a bright summer day, Lily Evans decided to sit in her backyard and read a textbook. Of course, Ancient Runes isn't the most interesting subject so she quickly became bored. Her textbook reminded her of school, which reminded her of her Head Girl status, which reminded her of her fellow Head Boy, James Potter. James Potter was an attractive bloke. He was very outgoing and always found time to help the children in younger years with homework. He was, unfortunately, very over-confident and used his strength in a few very childish ways (torturing Slytherins, playing pranks on unsuspecting students, etc.)

Contrary to popular belief, she and James had been very good friends in first and second year. Memories came flooding back to her…

***King's Cross Station-1971(Their first year)***

A young red-head gaped openly at the poorly dressed magical people and the odd pets upon her arrival platform 9 ¾. Today was the day she was to depart for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to begin her magical education. At this thought, she smiled widely, revealing two rows of straight white teeth.

A month prior, a letter had come by owl informing her of her acceptance to Hogwarts and a kind aging wizard had arrived shortly after to explain to the Evans family how the wizarding world truly functioned. Mr. and Mrs. Evans had embraced their youngest daughter's gift wholeheartedly while their oldest daughter, Petunia, had not accepted her sister's "freak powers". Though the snub had wounded Lily, she moved on and began counting the days until she would leave for the foreign school. Thus, she was at the platform, saying goodbye to her parents.

She took her luggage onto the train and searched futilely for an empty compartment. After five minutes of peering into occupied compartments, a boy with messy hair and a kind smile beckoned her into his compartment. He introduced himself as James Potter and informed her that this was his first year at Hogwarts and asked if it was the same for her as well. She replied with a yes and asked if he had known anything about Hogwarts before his letter had come. He scoffed and told her that, "Of course he knew about Hogwarts. Didn't you?" She shook her head. He then launched into animated stories of his father and mother's time at Hogwarts and entertained her until a girl and boy, both with black hair asked if they could join them.

They introduced themselves as Dorcas Meadowes and Sirius Black. Soon after, a witch with a trolley filled with candy stopped at their door.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" Sirius, James, and Dorcas all jumped up and bought a large amount of sweets. James turned around, noticing that Lily wasn't with them.

"Aren't you going to get anything, Lily?" Lily shook her head. She didn't know how to handle their money. He finished quickly and handed Lily a handful of treats.

"You looked hungry." He smiled and she smiled back.

***Present Day***

Lily smiled reminiscently and wondered what had ever happened. But, of course, a boy couldn't stay at eleven forever. They had to grow up. That was exactly what had happened. Now he was as cocky as a person could get and incredibly flirty. He chased after anything with a skirt and always got what he wanted. Of course Lily didn't hate him, but she wasn't afraid to show her disapproval. This year, she was almost positive that things would take a turn for the better.

***King's Cross Station-1978(Their seventh year)***

**Lily eagerly ran through the barrier dividing the magical world from the muggle world and emerged on the opposite side of the brick barrier. Steam filled her nose and she coughed. She took in her surroundings- the quirky wizards, laughing children, and her classmates. This was her home. **

"**LILY!" someone yelled and she felt an impact. A blob of black hair was all she could see.**

"**Dorcas! It's so wonderful to see you!" Lily hugged her best friend back just as tightly. **

"**I had such a horrid summer! The Blacks are utterly insufferable." Dorcas came from a rich pureblooded family though she didn't agree with their views at all. **

"**Thanks, Dorky," drawled another voice from behind her. Lily turned around to see the one-and-only Sirius Black, leaning on a pillar, his arms crossed across his chest arrogantly. **

"**Sirius!" she squealed and hugged him. He laughed and twirled her around. Sirius was the older brother that she'd never had and she always missed him over summer break. **

"**Lilykins! Did you highlight your hair? It looks so dreamy!" he exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. She laughed and patted his toned arm. **

"**Thank you, Siri. It's almost as pretty as your hair. What shampoo do you use?" She replied sarcastically. He smiled and nudged her shoulder. **

"**Hey, Lily, Dorcas," greeted Remus. He was a friend of Lily's and probably the best person to go to if you needed advice. She hugged him.**

"**Hey, Remus!" Dorcas and I exclaimed simultaneously. **

"**What? No hugs for me?" asked another deep voice from behind them. They turned to see the smiling face of James Potter. He had grown immensely in the seven years that she had known him. He was every girl's fantasy-tall, dark, and handsome. And sweet. And cocky. And the list goes on. Dorcas walked forward and hugged him, as did Lily. At that moment, she realized that, though James was still cocky, he'd offered her candy once when she was hungry, and she couldn't help thinking that maybe that made him sort of knightlike after all. That maybe it wasn't his fault that his armor was a tad tarnished. And that she loved him anyway. **

"**It's great to see you again." He smiled and so did she. **


End file.
